Sure, you could buy yourself some followers, but not only is that unauthentic, it also creates low engagement as you’ll fail to have that key interaction that is necessary for continued growth.

“Creating an engaged following is integral to success, so knowing the best tips for building an authentic Instagram following fast will put your business, idea, or face on the map,” said Issa Asad.

A strong growth strategy can help you not only build engagement, but also cement your position within your specific industry and highlight what you have to offer that may currently be lacking in the market. With this in mind, you can amass followers in a shorter period of time, and still ensure that your audience is genuine and interested.

Here, Issa Asad Reveals Tips for Building an Authentic Instagram Following Fast:

1. Utilize Popular Hashtags

One of the best tips for building an authentic Instagram following fast is to utilize the tools that are offered to you for free. Hashtags are more than just buzzwords added to your posts, and instead can be used as a way to find and engage with others who are interested in similar content. Understanding what your audience wants will then guide you in what you post, and how you hashtag each upload.

For example, if you have created a business around food, start looking at other food-inspired Instagram accounts and see what hashtags are commonly used. This will give you a clear understanding of the buzzwords that draw in an audience, and can help you draw in a bigger crowd.

Not only will popular hashtags help promote your own posts, but you can also use them to seek out and communicate with other individuals within the same industry. Networking is an essential part of growing and expanding in any career path, so take advantage of the vast network at your fingertips. By commenting on similar accounts, or even direct messaging the user, you can connect one-on-one and build up a strong relationship that helps support your brand. This can then lead to partnerships, brand deals, and guest posts down the road – all of which will continue to get your name out to a wider audience.

2. Cultivate Your On-Screen Personality

Everyone loves adorable dog pictures and drool-inducing food pictures, but these won’t always work in your favor when trying to gain a professional following. Posting your #OOTD is cute, but you want to go deeper with your uploads in order to show your audience who you are and what you are about. Make each post more intentional and you should see a more engaged and active response from others, especially if you are trying to promote something specific.

If you run a clothing business, focus on making posts that are strongly related to fashion, and which highlight your own products in natural and intriguing ways. Happen to be a writer? Showcase your talent with a perfectly constructed caption that is sprinkled with eloquent wording and tasteful hashtags. Most of your audience won’t know you in-person, which is why you need to demonstrate who you are through that screen. The more you can present the real you, and what you stand for, the more your audience will feel connected to you and want to be a part of your journey.

3. Get People Talking, Not Just Liking

Everyone focuses on how many likes a picture gets, but they tend to overlook how much more important the comment section is. Users who feel compelled to comment and participate are more likely to come back to your page again and again. Anyone can like a picture while mindlessly scrolling, but to take the time to stop and engage means that a person is genuinely interested in what you posted. It also helps tremendously if you then take the time to reply back to each comment, showing your audience that you value what they say and take the time to actually read what they write.

As you get more people talking on your posts, you will then start to see your follower count grow. This is the time to really lay that groundwork and put in the work in order to stay engaged and build that audience. Following these tips for building an authentic Instagram following fast will guide you to making the most of your talents, and as long as you remain authentic, your audience will be authentic as well.